BOYS BASKETBALL: Waynesboro beats Big Spring on Pack the House Night

WAYNESBORO — The Waynesboro Indians' third annual Pack the House Night was a huge success Friday.

Not only did Waynesboro basketball fans nearly fill the WASHS gymnasium, but the Indians survived a mid-game skid for a come-from-behind 58-44 Mid-Penn Colonial Division victory over the Big Spring Bulldogs.

Inspired by a boisterous crowd, the Indians were nearly unstoppable as they built an early 11-point lead before faltering in the second quarter to fall behind by a deuce at halftime, 27-25.

"We would love to pack the house every night, "Waynesboro coach Tom Hoffman said, "but we understand a part of that is we need to win more. If we win more, I think fans will come out and support us like they did tonight. And I think that's coming here soon.

"In this day and age, kids have a lot of different things to do — with jobs, family obligations and other sports. It's not easy. Coach (Rich) Davis and Mr. (Eric) McIlquham (athletic director) spearheaded the Pack the House Night along with our booster club. They did a fantastic job. It was an awesome atmosphere to play in."

The Indians (5-10, 3-6 MPC-Colonial) returned to the court in the second half with renewed determination to win going away, outpointing the Bulldogs (4-12, 1-8 MPC-Colonial) 33-17 in the final 16 minutes.

Playing with a sense of urgency at the start of the third quarter, the Indians quickly moved ahead as Connor Fetterhoff (21 points) dropped his fourth of six treys for the game.

The two clubs traded points through the third before the Indians emerged with a two-point, 36-34, lead at the three-quarter mark.

Fetterhoff buried another three before the quarter ended and Tim Ingram accounted for the other five points with a six-footer and 3-for-4 from the foul line.

Waynesboro's press was effective in the final quarter, forcing the Bulldogs into a half-dozen turnovers.

Isiah Grier gave the Bulldogs their last lead in the opening minute of the fourth, but he fouled out moments later.

The Indians then went on an eight-point run on two inside scores by Ryan Kelley (10 points), a fast break lay-in by Ingram off a Shaquill Smith steal and a baseline drive by Fetterhoff.

Waynesboro closed out the game with 14 of the last 22 points, featuring a free throw by Kelley, another by Ingram and one by Fetterhoff, a quick score by James Bennett off a feed from Kelley on a steal, Ingram hit off another Bulldog turnover, Kelley scored inside again and Fetterhoff punctuated the win with a three.

Feeding off the crowd, the Indians sizzled for the first five minutes of the opening quarter, opening a 12-1 lead.

Fetterhoff started the game the way he ended it — with a three-pointer. He was 6-for-9 from behind the arc.

Page 2 of 3 - Cole Warrenfeltz followed with a bucket and Fetterhoff nailed another trey from same spot as the first. Ingram found the bottom of the net on two charity shots and then scored on an inside move to get the Indians rolling.

Big Spring, however, recovered to pull with five at 12-7 on back-to-back three-pointers from Matt Hickman and Tyler Pion (13 points).

Kelley found the bottom of the net from behind the foul line to end the quarter.

The Indians would probably like to forget the second quarter as the Bulldogs outscored them 20-11, with Pion. Ben Bailey and Hickman combining for 14 of those points.

Another three by Fetterhoff, two inside scores by Ingram, a foul shot by Kelley and another by Smith, and an outside shot by Devonte Montgomery kept Waynesboro close.

"The whole thing was emotion at the start," Hoffman noted. The emotion wears off at some point and you have to execute. They blitzed us pretty good in the second quarter. Some of it was we weren't getting back on defense and they were getting some really open looks.

"They're a senior-dominated team that came back and made some plays. That put us down at the half. I was definitely worried. But lately we've been making plays in the fourth quarter to win games. It looks like we're growing up. We exerted our will in the fourth quarter and won the game."

The Indians shot 36 percent from the field, with Fetterhoff going 7-for-11. Waynesboro pulled down 31 rebounds. Ingram was huge on the boards with 12 and Bennett added seven.

Smith had five and Kelley three of the team's 15 assists. Ingram and Smith each collected three of the Tribe's 13 steals. Bennett blocked two shots and Fetterhoff took two charges. The team committed just seven turnovers.

"Connor Fetterhoff and Tim Ingram stepped up tonight," Hoffman said. "Connor shot well tonight, but I was most proud of how he played defense tonight. He played a very good all-around game.